RAISING DIGITAL KIDS
—by Mike Daugherty
with bullying, shaming, and similar
concerns. Also, the GPS and location
data along with the potential for unin-
tentional oversharing by your child can
be used by predators who seek to com-
municate or even harm a child.
These are just a few of the ways this
decision can impact your child’s life.
This isn’t meant to scare you (although
it should). It is a reminder that this is not
a decision that should be taken lightly.
Questions to Ask
Yourself
When Should You Give Your Child a
Smartphone?
R
aising children in a technol-
ogy-rich culture has radi-
cally changed the types of
issues that parents may face. Sexting,
cyberbullying, and privacy issues are
just some examples of the challenges
faced by modern parents. Many of those
issues surround a child’s access to tech-
nology.
More specifically, “What exactly is
the right age to give your son or daugh-
ter a smartphone?” This is one of those
questions that seems to come up almost
every time I have a conversation with a
group of parents around technology use.
My wife and I are having this discussion
in our own home as well.
We’ve got a nine-year-old with
a birthday coming up. He’s asked on
multiple occasions for a smartphone for
his birthday or Christmas. Ten-years-
old initially seemed a bit early to us.
However, after doing some research,
we discovered the average age for get-
ting a smartphone in America is 10.3
years. Age is just a number though, and
it should not be the deciding factor in
such a significant decision.
After doing a bit of thinking, re-
searching and speaking with colleagues,
30 WNY Family November 2018
age shouldn’t be part of the conversa-
tion at all. This is a not a decision to be
taken lightly. Let’s look at all of the fac-
tors that come into play when consider-
ing a smartphone for your child.
Don’t Take This
Decision Lightly
As adults, we often forget how
powerful a smartphone can be. We have
become so accustomed to having one
that panic quickly sets in when your
phone goes missing, even for the brief-
est of moments. Parents need to be over-
whelmingly clear about the magnitude
of this decision.
While using a smartphone, your
child can create and distribute images,
videos, and text to a global audience
even without a cellular data plan. Creat-
ing and sending a video to a friend could
easily result in that same friend upload-
ing the video to Twitter, YouTube, or
any number of media outlets.
The thrill of getting likes or hits on-
line can be too tempting to pass up. The
distribution is virtually unlimited, and
once content has been placed online,
it can be nearly impossible to remove.
This can lead to more significant issues
There are countless resources on-
line that give guidelines for parents
who are considering getting their child
a smartphone. Common themes arise
when you take the time to read through
all of the material available.
How does the child handle tablets
and gaming systems now? When
asked to wrap up, do they comply
with ease or is it a constant battle?
Do they appear to obsess about
electronics now? If the relationship
with technology isn’t a healthy one
now, providing them with a smart-
phone will only compound the
problem.
A smartphone is an avenue for
quick and easy communication
with their peers. Is there a positive
social benefit for this in your house-
hold?
Does your child lose things easily?
This is an expensive item to lose.
Have you taught your son or daugh-
ter about the ethical, responsible
use of a smartphone? For example,
do they know not to use the phone
to belittle or embarrass others? Do
they understand the implications of
bullying, sexting, and oversharing?
Are you going to use an applica-
tion or device to monitor the usage?
(Hint: YES!)
These questions are designed to
help parents begin to think through the
decision. I would encourage all parents
to do additional research through sites
like Common Sense Media (common-
sensemedia.org) and ConnectSafely
(connectsafely.org).